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Olfactory bulb/tract demyelination was frequent in all demyelinating diseases (MS 12/17 (70.6%); ADEM 3/7 (42.9%); NMO 2/3 (66.7%)) but was absent in HSE, AD, and non-neurologic controls. Inflammation was greater in the demyelinating diseases compared to non-neurologic controls. Olfactory bulb/tract axonal loss was most severe in MS where it correlated significantly with the extent of demyelination (r=0.610, P=0.009) and parenchymal inflammation (r=0.681, P=0.003). The extent of olfactory bulb/tract demyelination correlated with that found in the subjacent adjacent inferofrontal cortex but not hippocampus. We provide unequivocal evidence that olfactory bulb/tract demyelination is frequent, can occur early and be highly inflammatory, and is specific to demyelinating disease.

The olfactory system is your concerned with your sense of smell and in rodents it contains stem cells capable of remyelination (olfactory ensheathing cells) In this study they looked MSers and non MSer and found demyelination was common in parts of the brain associated with sense of smell. There was also nerve loss too.This effect was common and was found in 70%of people. How's your sense of smell. ProfHawkes is our smelly neuro and carries around "scratch and sniff" cards in his pocket...how weird is that?

The nonprofit organization Accelerated Cure Project for Multiple Sclerosis is going to sponsor the launch of the Optimizing Treatment – Understanding Progression (OPT-UP) study in collaboration with biopharmaceutical company EMD Serono, Inc, a subsidiary of the german Merck KGaA. The study will enroll 2,500 MS patients, which will be followed for five years in order to understand the main treatment outcomes suffered.

The new agreement is aimed at supporting the creation of a database of the factors that afflict MS patients regarding treatment outcomes through a U.S.-based, multicenter longitudinal clinical research. The purpose of the study is to help physicians in their therapeutic decisions and interventions, as well as provide knowledge and tolls for the development of new strategies and treatments for MS.

“We have been working diligently with leading MS clinicians, people living with MS, biopharma companies, and foundations to design a study that addresses the most critical medical needs in MS today,” stated the president and CEO of the Accelerated Cure Project for MS, Robert McBurney. “We are thrilled that EMD Serono, a leader in the area of MS therapeutics, has chosen to take a lead founding sponsor role, providing the support needed to implement this important study.”

Friday, September 19, 2014

Today Biogen Idec (NASDAQ: BIIB) and AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) announced the full results from the Phase 3 DECIDE clinical trial, which show ZINBRYTA™ (daclizumab high-yield process), dosed subcutaneously once a month, demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in reducing disease activity in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) compared to AVONEX® (interferon beta-1a).1

These results are being presented at the Sixth Triennial Joint Meeting of the Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis and the European Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis (ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS) in Boston.

“The full results from DECIDE demonstrate that ZINBRYTA significantly improved key measures of multiple sclerosis disease activity compared to AVONEX, including reducing annualized relapse rate and new brain lesion development,” said Ludwig Kappos, M.D., chair, Department of Neurology and head, MS-Research Group, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland, and lead investigator for DECIDE. “These results help us better understand ZINBRYTA as a potential treatment option for people with relapsing-remitting MS.”

DECIDE Detailed Efficacy Results1

DECIDE was a two- to three-year, Phase 3, global, randomized, double-blind study that evaluated whether ZINBRYTA would provide superior outcomes for certain clinical endpoints compared to AVONEX. The study enrolled more than 1,800 patients with RRMS.

ZINBRYTA demonstrated superiority in reducing the number of new or newly enlarging T2-hyperintense lesions at week 96, with a 54 percent reduction relative to AVONEX (p<0.0001).

The risk of three-month confirmed disability progression, as measured by the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS), was reduced by 16 percent in patients treated with ZINBRYTA compared to those on AVONEX (p=0.16). This was not statistically significant.

The risk of meaningful worsening in the physical impact of multiple sclerosis (MS) (> 7.5 point worsening in the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale [MSIS-29] physical score) was reduced by 24 percent in the ZINBRYTA group compared to the AVONEX group (p=0.018).

Executive deficits (also referred to as cognitive deficits) describe disabling symptoms that affect approximately half of multiple sclerosis patients’ quality of life. Processing speed, which is a measure of how fast the brain can intake information and decide how to respond to the information, is found to be slowed in multiple sclerosis patients. The team at Kessler Foundation was interested in a possible link between the two symptoms and compared 50 multiple sclerosis patients to 28 healthy participants with the intention of determining an effect of processing speed on executive function.

Cycling 800 miles in aid of Shift.ms

If you follow us on social media, then you'll no
doubt know that this weekend MSer Andrew Dobie and his friend Matt Bolton will
complete their cycle ride of the length
of Britain, to raise money for Shift.ms. To say these guys have
been up against it would be an understatement. What they've battled against has
been remarkable.

As we speak, the boys have crossed the Scottish border and are crossing the
Highlands (which - sadly for them - still counts as Britain!). Freddie joined
them on Wednesday to give Matt (the non MSer!) a must needed rest.

Read their blog here: www.tandem.ms.
Please share their story with everyone you know. They're our heroes.

The
Tisch MS Research Center of New York Patient Education Symposium provides
information for patients and their families on how to make decisions about
trying new treatments, coping and managing symptoms of MS, maintaining a
healthy diet, physical therapy and the importance of a strong support system. Our annual symposium provides a safe and
comfortable environment for learning about the disease and the experiences of
other patients. Moreover, MS researchers
and care professionals are available throughout the day to answer specific
questions. Our Annual MS Education
Symposium continues to provide up-to-date information on all the latest
treatments, as well as facts about promising treatments under study in clinical
trials. In addition, we will present
results from the ongoing research in our laboratory at the Tisch MS Research
Center of New York.

ABOUT TISCH MS RESEARCH CENTER OF NEW YORK

For over twenty years, Dr. Saud A. Sadiq has believed that
combining excellence in clinical care with innovative research targeted at
finding the cure for multiple sclerosis would set an exemplary standard in the
treatment of people with MS. Today, the
Tisch MS Research Center of New York embodies this new model of healthcare, in
which your doctor is also your researcher. Dr. Sadiq helps those with MS by
conducting cutting-edge, patient-based research to ensure unparalleled care.
The close relationship of the non-profit research center and its affiliated
clinical practice (International Multiple Sclerosis Management Practice) enables
the testing of new MS treatments and accelerates the pace at which research
discoveries move from lab bench to bedside. The Tisch MS Research Center of New
York aims to identify the disease trigger, optimize treatments for patients and
repair the damage caused by multiple sclerosis.

Thursday, September 18, 2014

More than 8500 investigators convened in Boston on September 10-13, 2014 to present findings and share ideas at the ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS (Americas and European Committees for Treatment and Research in MS) joint meeting, the world’s largest gathering dedicated to MS research. Over 1,000 scientific presentations and display posters covered virtually every aspect of research to stop MS, restore function, and end MS forever. Among these are the latest results from trials of emerging therapies, nervous system repair and rehabilitative strategies, studies furthering our understanding of progressive MS, and much more.

Anyone interested in ACTRIMS-ECTRIMS presentations can visit the meeting website and view the scientific summaries (referred to as abstracts in the program).

MLBG, unadjusted for body size or other factors except for sex, was predictive of PASAT-3 cognition scores with a delta-R2value of 0.066 (P<0.001) -- with larger volume correlated with higher scores -- in a cross-sectional study of 352 MS patients, according to James Sumowski, PhD, senior research scientist at the Kessler Foundation in West Orange, N.J.

Avon, Colo. – September 5, 2014 – Can Do Day is an annual campaign which honors Can Do MS’s founder and Olympic medalist skier, Jimmie Heuga, on his birthday Monday, September 22, 2014, by asking Can Do MS supporters to focus on what they can do, and then do it. An interactive Photo Pledge wall, Can Do Day, inspires others and helps raise awareness for multiple sclerosis (MS).

Can Do Day is showcased through a photo pledge gallery on Can Do MS’s website, which enables fans to submit a photo with a pledge on what they can do. Then, on September 22nd, Can Do Day, the person with the most votes for their Photo Pledge will win a 1964 Olympic poster autographed by Jimmie Heuga, Billy Kidd and Pepi Stiegler, vintage ‘Heuga Express’ trucker hat, Can Do MS duffle bag, and a $50 Trek Light Gear gift certificate.

"Can Do Day was created to bring together inspiring pledges, comments, and support for not only people living with MS, but for anyone who is passionate in doing something they can do,” says Jennifer Myers, Director of Marketing and Communications, Can Do MS. “Can Do Day is an opportunity to honor Jimmie’s philosophy by sharing your can do spirit with all, and connect with others through our website and Facebook page.”

Jimmie Heuga, a pioneer in the MS care management field was diagnosed with MS in 1970. At the time of his diagnosis, Heuga was advised to avoid physical activity to preserve his health. Being a high-caliber athlete and rebelling against his prescribed sedentary lifestyle, Jimmie began developing his own program of exercise and his condition improved. He not only realized the power of exercise, nutrition, positive thinking and movement to enhance his life with MS, more importantly, he realized that by focusing on what he could do rather than what he could not, he was able to go beyond perceived limitations to live his best life with MS.

MS is a chronic neurological disorder that affects the central nervous system, which is made up of the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves. The progress, severity, and specific symptoms of MS are unpredictable and vary from one person to another. MS has no known cause or cure.

A national nonprofit organization based in Avon, Colo., Can Do MS is an innovative provider of lifestyle empowerment programs that empower people with MS and their support partners to transform and improve their quality of life. For more information, visit the organization’s website at www.mscando.org or call 970-926-1290.

Action Points

Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Sept 2014

BOSTON -- An objectively measured sign of spasticity in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients was relieved with Sativex, the oromucosal cannabinoid spray, in a small randomized trial reported here.

Mean scores on the modified Ashworth scale, which measures resistance to muscular stretching, for lower limb spasticity improved by 18.2% (SD 33.7%) in patients treated with Sativex for 4 weeks, compared with a 6.7% improvement (SD 26.6%) in patients using a placebo spray (P=0.029 for the between-group difference), according to Letizia Leocani, MD, PhD, of University Hospital San Raffaele in Milan.

It randomized 43 patients to a 2-week titration period followed by 2 weeks of treatment at stable doses with either placebo or Sativex. Following a 2-week washout period, patients then crossed over to a second 4-week cycle with the other treatment.

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Action Points

Note that this study was published as an abstract and presented at a conference. These data and conclusions should be considered to be preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

OSTON -- Women using combined oral contraceptives containing norethindrone or levonorgestrel were substantially more likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS) than those not on birth control pills, analysis of a large claims database indicated.

Among some 4,300 women in Kaiser Permanente's Southern California system from 2008 to 2011, those whose most recent oral contraceptive contained norethindrone had a 57% higher risk of definite MS or clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) (odds ratio 1.57, 95% CI 1.16-2.12) compared with plan members who had no record of oral contraceptive use, said Annette Langer-Gould, MD, PhD, of Kaiser's Southern California Los Angeles Medical Center.

But those using contraceptives containing another progestin compound, drospirenone, did not show any increase in MS risk (OR 1.02, 95% 0.64-1.62), she said.

This pattern of results was the same, although the specific odds ratios changed somewhat, when the analysis examined the oral contraceptives that plan members had used the most -- as opposed to just the ones they used most recently -- recognizing that many women may switch from one type of product to another over time.

SYMPTOMS of MS

In multiple sclerosis , damage to the myelin in the central nervous system (CNS), and to the nerve fibers themselves, interferes with the transmission of nerve signals between the brain and spinal cord and other parts of the body. This disruption of nerve signals produces the primary symptoms of MS, which vary depending on where the damage has occurred.

Over the course of the disease, some symptoms will come and go, while others may be more lasting.

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